Improvement in fire-arms



E. H. GRAHAM.

Revolver- Patented Sept. 16, 1,856.

N. PETE, FHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON u. C.

UNITED n. H. GRAHAM, on MANcHns'rnR, NEW'HAMP'SHIRE.

povemenrm FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,734, dated September16, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND H. GRAHAM, of Manchester, in the county ofHillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Re volving Fire-Arms; and 1 do hereby declarethat the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, hereinafterreferred to, formsa full and exactspecification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature andprinciples of my said improvements, by which my invention may bedistinguished from others of a similar class, together with such partsas I. claim and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The figures of the accompanying plate of drawings represent myimprovements.

, Figure l is a plan or top view of my improved gun. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal central vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a sideview, showing some of the parts in detail, to be hereinafter referredto. Fig. 4 is adetail view, to be hereinafter referred to.

The principal difliculty experienced in the use of many-chamberedfire-arms arises from the danger of some one or all of the chargesbecoming ignited by the discharge of the gun, as the chambers arenecessarily arranged very close to each other.

The present invention consists in a novel mode of constructing thechambers in which the charges are placed, the ball being placed in achamber arranged at right angles to the chamber in which the powder isplaced, each powder-chamber at the time of the discharge being coveredby a plate, while the remaining powder-chambers are uncovered. By thisarrangement the charge to be exploded is completely isolated from theothers, and if by any possibility any of the charges should becomeignited no discharge would take place, as the powder, not being confinedand having no surface to react upon, would be consumed in its chamberwithout expelling the ball.

a a in the drawings represents the breech of a gun, and b the barrel. 0c is the cylinder or magazine in which the charges are placed. Thepowder is placed in the vertical chambers d d, 8tc., placed at rightangles to and communicating with the horizontal chambers e e, 850., inwhich the balls are placed. The caps are placed upon nipples f f, 850.,attached to the bottom of the powder-chambers, as shown in Fig. 2.

The cylinder or magazine 0 c is secured in the gun by means of a slottedsliding bolt, g, Figs. 3 and 4, which fits over a shoulder, h, on thebottom of a vertical shaft, t i, that extends through the cylinder 0 c.A metallic plate, It, is attached to the top of the vertical shaft t i.

The cylinder 0 0 can be taken out of the gun in order to insert thecharges by sliding the bolt 9 until the large part of its slot, Fig. 4.,comes opposite the shoulder h of the vertical shaft t' i, when themagazine can be taken out, as will readily be understood.

l l is the lock to which the hammer m is attached, turning on a fulcrumat n. The lock is held cocked by the trigger o, a shoulder, 12, on whichengages with a slot, q, in thelock l I. On pulling the trigger thehammer of the lock will be forced against the cap by means of a bentspring, r, aswill be understood by inspection of Fig. 3. At the time ofthe discharge the plate is of the vertical shaft 0' i is directly overthe powderchamber and forms a resistingsurface for the powder to actagainst, and so completely covers the chamber to be discharged as toprevent the ignition of any of the other charges. After one charge hasbeen fired the cylinder 0 c is reversed sufficiently'to bring the nextball-chamber in succession in a line with the barrel b b andthe nextpowderchamber under the protecting-plate k by the operation of cockingthe gun. Thisis i-ffected by means of a bent arm, 8 s, Fig. 3, attachedto the lock 1 l by a pivot.

On the end of the arm 8 s is a pawl, u, that engages with ratchet-teethv 11 formed on the bottom of the cylinder 0 0. Thus the movement of thelock 1 l in cocking will move the bent arm 8 s sufficiently to turn thecylinder 0 0 one tooth of the ratchet and bring the next powder-chamberunder the plate it.

7 From the foregoing description it will be seen thatby arranging thechambersin which the powder and balls are placed at right angles to eachother and covering the one to be discharged by a protecting-plate thereis very little danger of the others being'discharged, and if by anychance the powder in any of the otherchambers should becomeignited itwould be consumed without expelling the ball from the cylinder, and nodamage to the gun would ensue.

Having thus described my improvements,

' what I claim as my invention, and desire to have secured to me byLetters Patent, is-

1. Arranging the chambers in which the powder is placed and the chambersin which the balls are placed at right angles to each other, or nearlyso, and so as to communicate with each other, as described, and for thepurpose specified.

2. Covering each powder chamber at the time of the discharge with aprotecting cap or plate, as described.

EDMUND. H. GRAHAM.

Witnesses WILLIAM A. WEBSTER, SAMUEL UPTON.

